Chegg Growth Playbook

Textbooks were a rip-off.

The 'High-Friction' to 'High-Value' Pivot: Chegg tacticaly gained initial traction by solving the 'Expensive Textbook' problem through rentals. This 'Loss Leader' strategy allowed them to capture the student's credit card and trust at the start of every semester. Their true growth engine is the 'Expert Q&A' subscription—once a student is in the ecosystem, they are upsold on high-margin, real-time homework help. By becoming the indispensable 'Academic Support System' that students rely on to pass their classes, Chegg achieved high LTV and deep retention across the entire four-year college lifecycle.